How does the Indians schedule look to kickoff the 2020 season?
Last season the Cleveland Indians season began with a myriad of questions regarding injured players, an outfield that many felt couldn't match up with many other teams, and a bullpen that had a lot of unknowns.
The team though fought through not having two of their big infielders in both Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis, and they were able to have a winning record after the first full month of the season, a time in the past when they usually would have struggles.
The team (as they will in 2020) actually started play with a couple games in March, as they played three games against the Twins in frosty Minnesota, losing two of three with a win in the middle.
The month of April actually saw the team win 15 of 25 games, this with an offense that had major issues pushing runs across while they waited for Lindor and Kipnis to return.
The hope as the team reports to Goodyear, Arizona in February is to do whatever they can to keep the core of the team healthy, and get off to a solid start so they are not staring up at the Twins for first place two months into the season trailing them by double digits.
This upcoming season the team will again play a couple of games in March, and if you are looking to get to the home opener for the Tribe, you'd better not put your winter coat away just yet.
The team will start the season in 2020 with five home games in March, with the opener being on Thursday, March 26th against the AL Central rival Detroit Tigers, a team they lost just one game to in 2019.
After three against the Tigers, they will host the Chicago White Sox for three games on March 30th, 31st and April 1st before their first road swing, which starts on Thursday, April 2nd in Detroit with a 1:10pm first pitch against the Tigers.
After four against the Tigers, the team will head to Target Field in Minnesota to take on the Twins, a three-game set that could set the tone for how this season's series against the reigning AL Central Champions will go.
The team will come home for their second home stand, starting on Thursday, April 9th through Sunday, April 12th against the Tampa Bay Rays. Then in a rather odd quirk with the schedule, the Tigers come right back to Progressive Field for three more games on April 14th, 15th and 16th.
The team will have a weekend series in Boston after the second home series with Detroit, and then come home for three against a team that dominated them in 2019, the Oakland A's. The A's went 5-1 against the Tribe in 2019.
The final week of the month will see a weekend series in New York against the Yankees, meaning the Tribe will play the top three teams in the AL East in the first month, the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox.
The last three against the Yankees on the road April 24th, 25th and 26th will follow up with three in Tampa against the Rays.
It will be a challenging month(s) to start 2020. The slate lines up as follows:
Detroit 6 home games 4 away
Chicago WS 3 home games
Minnesota 3 road games
Tampa Bay 4 home 3 away
Boston 4 away
New York Yankees 3 away
Oakland 3 home
The month (including March) in total - 16 home games, 17 road games
